A representative of the Thompson presidential campaign visited the Situation Room.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Campaign spokeswoman Karen Hanretty explained former Senator Fred Thompson'smuch-talked-about schedule to Wolf Blitzer on Monday. She also made the case for Thompson's conservative credentials relative to the other frontrunners for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. Watch this clip from CNN's "The Situation Room."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton told ABC's “The View” Monday that it's different running for president as a woman, noting people focus more attention on her appearances and mannerisms than on those of her male counterparts.

"Oh, yes, yes. Oh, yes," Clinton said when asked about the difficulties she encounters as a woman candidate. "The hair. The hair. The clothes. The laugh," the New York Democrat added, referencing the scrutiny she has faced on her evolving hairstyles, clothes, and most recently on what some have dubbed her 'cackle.'

"I do think that there still is, you know, probably a tougher standard for women, especially running for president," she added. "I mean, we've all been through it in some way or another. Where you go and you try to break a barrier, you try to do the best you can, and people are saying, ‘Well, I don't like her clothes,’ or, ‘I don't like her hair,’ or whatever."

During her appearance on The View, Clinton also brushed aside the suggestion that leaders from countries unsympathetic to women's rights would refuse to meet with her if she was elected president.

"You know, I have been to 82 countries," the Democratic frontrunner said. "And I have met with the leaders of a lot of countries that are not exactly in the forefront of giving women their rights. And I've never found that to be a problem."

“I actually think, assuming I'm so fortunate as to be elected, that sends a very strong message to those countries and to those leaders,” she added.

Clinton's appearance on the daytime talk show kicked off a week in which she is aiming to play up her connection to female voters. Appearing at a women's luncheon honoring Eleanor Roosevelt later on Monday, Clinton said she often draws inspiration from the former first lady. (Related video: Clinton plays the female card)

"She said, 'You know, if you're going to be involved in politics you have to grow skin as thick as a rhinoceros,"' Clinton noted. "So occasionally, I'll be sitting somewhere and I'll be listening to someone perhaps not saying the kindest things about me. And I'll look down at my hand and I'll sort of pinch my skin to make sure it still has the requisite thickness I know Eleanor Roosevelt expects me to have."

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination move from the Des Moines streets and Manchester diners to the nation’s capital Tuesday to help raise money for the Republican National Committee, and address a prominent GOP Jewish organization.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson are all scheduled to address The Presidential Trust Dinner, which will be held in the evening at the National Building Museum.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards got a major boost Monday, when 10 Service Employees International Union state chapters – including Iowa – endorsed his bid for president.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama announced that his home state chapter as well as the Indiana affiliate would back him. Full Story

– CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich

***

Biden to receive Bay State support

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Massachusetts House Majority Leader John Rogers and state Sen. Jim Timilty will join several other local officials at the State House in Boston Monday to announce they are backing Sen. Joe Biden for president.

An aide to the Delaware Democrat tells CNN they expect these officials to “be an instrumental part of our ground game in New Hampshire as the primary nears.”

– CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

***

Costumed candidate first to file in New Hampshire

(CNN) - New Hampshire's WMUR-TV – a CNN affiliate – reports that on the first day candidates could officially file for the Granite State's presidential primary, some threw their hats, and much more, into the ring. Full Story

===========================================================Political Hot Topics
(Today's top political stories from news organizations across the country)

Compiled by Lindsey Pope
CNN Washington Bureau

GOP FUNDRAISING SLUMPS BEHIND DEMOCRATS: The leading Democratic presidential candidates raised twice as much money as their Republican counterparts this summer, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday, and several major candidates spent more money than they raised. New York Times: Democratic Candidates Keep Outraising Republicans

OBAMA, ROMNEY, GIULIANI BREAK THE BANK IN LAST THREE MONTHS: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R), the front-runners for their parties' presidential nominations, entered the final months of the primary season with another crucial advantage: more money to spend than their rivals. Washington Post: Clinton, Giuliani Hold Financial Leads

GIULIANI CAMP RETURNS $9.11 CHECKS: The third quarter disclosure reports out today indicate that Rudy Giuliani’s campaign is actively returning checks in denominations that are tied to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with eight returned checks to individual donors for $9.11, and one returned contribution of $911. WSJ: Thanks, But No Thanks for $9.11 Checks

FLORIDA CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF PARTY POLITICS: Does a national political party have to count every vote in choosing its nominee for president? Or can it enforce its rules in a way that leaves some voters, or even an entire state, out of the process? USA Today: Florida Sues Over Dems' Primary Rules

HILLARY'S "SECURITY AND OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY": Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will develop a plan to withdraw troops from Iraq within 60 days of becoming president, but "will order specialized units" to stay behind to fight terrorists there and elsewhere in the region, she wrote in a detailed Foreign Affairs magazine essay. Washington Times: Hillary: Some Troops Out in 60 Days

CLINTON CRACKS 50% BARRIER IN NEW POLL: Presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton for the first time wins the support of 50% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, and she commands the most enthusiastic backing of any contender in either party. USA Today: Clinton Backed by 50% Among Dems

NEW BOOK CLAIMS CLINTON SPIED ON POLITICAL RIVALS: Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance. The Hill: GOP Targeting Clinton on Phone-call Snooping

SOAP STAR SHINES LIGHT ON CLITNON: For years, actress Victoria Rowell spent her time off screen raising awareness of issues related to foster care, from the health and well-being of the children to adults taking care of them. Now, she's lending a bit of her celebrity to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton… WCF Courier: Soap Star Stumps for Clinton During Waterloo Stop

ROMNEY COURTING EVANGELICALS: He has invoked the Rev. Rick Warren, a popular evangelical author and mega church pastor. He has quoted Scripture and alluded to the Gideon Bible as favorite late-night reading. And he has cited his belief in Jesus Christ as his personal “savior.” New York Times: Gingerly, Romney Seeks Ties to Christian Right

HIGH COST TRAVEL FOR GIULIANI: That's what can be deduced by looking through Giuliani's campaign spending report, which shows the former New York mayor has routinely stayed in posh hotels while on the road, and seems to lack confidence in the quality of commercial air carriers. Washington Post: Giuliani Spends Big Bucks for Posh Hotels

THOMPSON: “I AM THE CONSISTENT CONSERVATIVE”: Appearing publicly for the first time since his first Republican debate a week ago, former Senator Fred D. Thompson traveled to New York yesterday, to the hometown of Rudolph W. Giuliani, to challenge his rival’s credibility on issues important to conservatives. New York Times: Thompson Says He, Not Giuliani, Is a True Conservative

OBAMA SUPPORTERS SPREAD THROUGHOUT IOWA: In the squat former ice rink that houses Sen. Barack Obama's Iowa headquarters, progress is measured in ones and twos… The "ones" are the candidate's strongest supporters—by Iowa tradition…The "twos" are supporters who have declared their backing less formally. Chicago Tribune: Obama Team Blankets Iowa

“GET IN LINE AND GET USED TO WAITING BECAUSE SEN. REID ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON,”: Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is sending all the right signals that he will run for re-election in 2010, the possibility that he might choose to retire has fueled speculation that a three-way race to succeed him atop the party could ensue… Roll Call: Three-Way Leader Race on Horizon

WHILE REPUBLICANS ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT, MANY DEMS STAY PUT: This is crunchtime for members of Congress who must decide whether to seek reelection next year or leave office, and so far Republicans seem to be lunging for the exits. While more than a dozen GOP lawmakers have decided to throw in the towel on their Capitol Hill careers, only two Democrats so far have called it quits… LA Times: Retirement Season Hits GOP Hard

FORMER STAFFER ACCUSED OF STEALING THOUSANDS FROM GRAHAM CAMPAIGN: South Carolina law enforcement and federal election officials are investigating whether a former staffer for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stole more than $200,000 from Graham’s campaign coffers during a more than four-year period ending in 2005. Roll Call: South Carolina Probing Graham Theft

MARK WARNER CASHES IN DURING THIRD QUARTER: Former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) raised $1.1 million in the third quarter, bringing him into a virtual cash tie with Rep. Tom Davis (R) after less than three weeks of fundraising. The Hill: Senate Money Flows In

KAY BAILEY'S NEW BOOK HAS PRAISE FOR HILLARY: With all the would-be Republican presidential nominees in gleeful Hillary-bashing mode, it seems that no true-red GOP stalwart would miss any chance to insult the New York Democrat and presidential frontrunner. That’s why the new book by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) contains a surprise. Roll Call's Heard on the Hill: To Hill With partisan Attacks

NRA BACKS STRICTER GUN LAW AFTER VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE: New gun legislation related to the Virginia Tech campus shooting has the National Rifle Association and a violence prevention group calling for a cease-fire in a long-running dispute as the two rally their lobbying efforts on the Hill. Politico: NRA Backs Anti-Gun Group on Capitol Hill

BUSH GREETED WITH PRAISE IN ARKANSAS: Out there in the rest of America, polls show that about twice as many people disapprove of President Bush as approve of him. But here in a cavernous convention center hall, Mr. Bush found nothing but admirers Monday when he answered questions during a town-hall-style meeting. New York Times: Low in Polls, Bush Makes More Time for Friendly Crowds

===============================================================

On the Trail:

Compiled by Lauren Kornreich
CNN Washington Bureau

* The Republican National Committee holds its’ Presidential Trust Dinner in Washington, DC, featuring speeches from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Arizona Sen. John McCain.

* Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, continues her week-long campaign tour celebrating "Women Changing America," with a policy address at the YWCA in Manchester, New Hampshire. After, she attends a town hall at Salem High School.

* New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Arizona Sen. John McCain all address the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC.

* Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, heads to Iowa and holds a press conference on his rural agenda at Sally Williams' farm in Fairfax. Later, he holds town hall meetings in Vinton, Amana and Tipton.

* Sen. Joe Biden’s, D-Delaware, presidential campaign announces endorsements at the Massachusetts State House in Boston.

* Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, calls into a tele-town hall meeting with the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Restaurant Association and Associated Builders and Contractors.

* Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards starts his two-day, nine-county "Barnstorm for Rural America" tour through Iowa with town hall meetings focusing on agricultural issues in Dunlap, Harlan and Exira. In the evening, he holds more community meetings in Greenfield and Waukee.